


c'mon baby, let's get out of the cold

by derwent



Category: Aquaman (2018)
Genre: Half-Sibling Incest, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, M/M, Past Domestic Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:02:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24454126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/derwent/pseuds/derwent
Summary: Their first real fight as a couple came courtesy of a trip.
Relationships: Arthur Curry/Orm Marius, Atlanna & Orm Marius
Comments: 6
Kudos: 92





	c'mon baby, let's get out of the cold

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Grinderman's "Palaces of Montezuma".
> 
> Lockdown has turned me into an advice column junkie and it shows.

“Guess what,” Arthur said from where he stood on the doorway, grin threatening to split his face into two. Orm looked up from the book he was reading. His brother was in even better mood than usual, which in turn brought a smile to his own face.

“We’re going to New York next week,” he gushed. “That’s right, brother, you and me, the Big Apple. The League wants to meet up. You can meet them, then we can go exploring the city. What say you, huh?”

Orm’s face fell. He knew New York; Arthur (and Tom) had given him a crash course on US geography. He’d seen it on the television: a city clogged with people and cars, everywhere you look buildings obstructing your gaze and you can’t even swim upwards to escape them like one does in Atlantis.

And he couldn’t think of anyone he wanted to meet less than this so-called Justice League.

“I’m not going.”

“Hey, c’mon, Orm,” Arthur said, still grinning. “It’ll be fun. It’s been months and you’ve never stepped out of this town yet.”

“I’m not going,” he repeated. 

“Look, I’ve booked us a suite. I’ve got the whole trip planned out. They know you’re coming.”

“Then maybe, brother,” Orm said, tone getting dangerous, “Maybe you should’ve asked me first.” The grin on Arthur’s face vanished. A strange thrill ran through Orm’s spine.

“Can you just, like, appreciate what I’m trying to do here?”

“I don’t recall ever asking you to do anything like that,” Orm said, “And last I checked, you seemed content with the way things are, so I don’t know what makes you think I want to go out and meet people.”

“Gee, I don’t know,” Arthur threw his hands up in frustration. “Maybe I want to take a vacation with you? Maybe I want to be able to say, ‘Hey guys, this is my brother’? Maybe I want my friends to get to know you?”

“You want to parade me around,” Orm said, voice full of accusation. “That’s it, isn’t it? You want to show me off in front of your friends. ‘Hey, look, this is the man that almost started a war with the surface, and see how I’ve got him wrapped around my finger.’” Anger, hot as the lava around the Ring of Fire, coursed through his vein.

“ _That_ is not what I said at all,” his brother growled. Orm kept his gaze level, but the way Arthur’s fist clenched didn’t escape his notice.

“But that is what you meant, brother. Do you really think I can’t see right through your words?”

“Stop twisting my words.”

“Laying bare you true meaning is not twisting your words. Tell yourself whatever lies you want, Arthur, but don’t think I’ll fall for – “

Arthur’s fist hit the doorframe. The sickening crack whipped through the air between them. 

They stood still for a few breaths, then Arthur whirled around, footsteps thundering down the stairs. He slammed the front door on his way out, and the sound reverberated through the house.

Orm exhaled. Slowly he sat down on the bed.

It was, perhaps, foolish of him to hope that Arthur would turn out differently. To hope that fists would not replace words. His brother was kind, yes, but Orm knew first hand that Arthur solved his problems as much through fighting as through words. Perhaps being in love had lulled him into a false sense of security, or perhaps it was Tom’s gentleness permeating the house, ever-present in all his actions. And yet he should’ve known better, for there was an anger in Arthur that wasn’t in his father. 

He didn’t know what he’d do if Arthur raised his hand at him. Back during the first months of their reunion when they were just brothers, he’d give back as good as he get. Now that they were lovers as well, Orm wasn’t so sure. He knew Tom disapproved, though he did his best not to show it. Would Tom see it as proof that the relationship was a mistake? And what would Mother think, who was so happy when they finally got along?

*

Orm hid in the room for as long as he could, but eventually he had to come down to dinner anyway.

Mother and Tom were busy unpacking the take out. He took the cutlery and set the table. 

“Thank you, dear,” his mother said, sitting down on her chair. “Where’s Arthur?”

“Out,” he answered. 

She raised an eyebrow. “Where to?”

Orm shrugged, keeping his eyes down at his plate and concentrating on the food. He could feel Tom and Atlanna exchanging glances, but he refused to give any indication that he noticed.

“Probably just taking a walk,” Tom finally said. “We’ll leave his dinner on the table.”

*

It was past midnight when Arthur came home at last.

At the sound of the front door being opened, Orm closed his eyes and began to slow down his breathing. Hopefully it was enough to fool Arthur into thinking that he was asleep.

Orm didn’t want to face his brother, but neither did he want to fall asleep. It would be the height of foolishness, lying there defenceless. He didn’t want to wake up with hands around his throat or worse.

The door was opened. He wondered if his frantic heart would give him away. 

Arthur came into the room with barely a sound. He didn’t turn on the lights. Each step brought dread closer to Orm.

He stood beside the bed, looking down at Orm. Then with a sigh, he climbed into bed with as little noise as he could, making sure that he didn’t touch Orm in the process. 

The sudden lack of intimacy tugged at something inside him. 

Soon Arthur’s breathing slowed down. But Orm didn’t fall asleep until the eastern sky began to light up.

*

He woke up to an empty bed. There was no sign of Arthur outside, so carefully he slipped out of the room. A quick shower, then downstairs he went.

Mother was reading the newspaper on the dining table. 

“Morning,” he said.

Her lips curled up in a small smile. “It’s afternoon.”

“Oh?” he looked out of the window. The sun was high up in the sky. “I suppose it is.”

Not another word passed between them while he ate his lunch. But afterwards, Mother took his hand and said, “Come sit with me on the couch.”

He sat down facing the TV, body tense in preparation for confrontation. Mother chuckled. “Stubborn little prince,” she said and pulled his head to rest on her shoulder. It would never cease to amaze him how a wealth of affection could be contained in such a simple gesture. 

She petted his head, slowly, tenderly, and if Orm closed his eyes, he could convince himself that he was a child again.

“Did you and Arthur have a fight?”

There it was. He nodded reluctantly.

She hummed. “Want to tell me what it was about?”

“He wanted to take me to New York. To see the city and to meet his friends.”

“Ah. Did he spring it out of nowhere?”

“And expected me to just follow him with my tail wagged like that dog of his.”

That drew a laugh out of Mother. “Why do you not want to go?”

He shrugged. “The crowds. The unfamiliarity. The pollution. Choose your pick.”

“And have you told him this?”

He sighed. “Would it matter?”

She turned his head so that they face each other. “You’ve only just begun.” Fingertips stroking his face. He leaned into the touch.

“You’re still learning each other. Still testing out your boundaries, finding out where your limits are. It is inevitable that there’ll be wrong steps along the way. But that doesn’t mean you’re doomed. Just that you need to figure things out, together.”

“If,” she added, “You want your relationship to work out, that is.”

“Are you talking from experience?”

Her face turned wistful. “Took me sometime to figure out that not every argument must end in a fight. Tom’s always been very patient about it.” She glanced at him. “I tried, with your father -”

Orm waved his hand. He understood that his father was a violent, abusive man. Maybe one day he’d come to peace with it, too: that he didn’t have a father worth loving. 

“So,” she continued, “Maybe you should talk to him, then.”

He made a non-committal hum. Then he sent her a sly glance, “Is Tom giving Arthur the same speech?”

She laughed. “They’re running some errands, but yes, the trip must be awkward for you brother.”

“Hm. That’s surprising.” At his mother’s questioning look, he added, “I get the sense that Tom disapproves.”

“He has some reservations, yes,” she admitted. “But he understands that us Atlanteans hold a different view about . . . intimate relationship between siblings. And most importantly, like me, he wants the both of you to be happy.”

She kissed the top of his head. “Now, you remember that Tom and I are going out tonight, right? To see that singer Tom likes?”

“Yes, and since the show’s in another town, you’ll be spending the night there and return tomorrow.” He gave her a knowing look. “So obviously Arthur and I should use this chance to talk.”

“Can I trust you not to burn down the house?”

*

Atlanna and Tom left just before sunset. Arthur went inside as soon as the truck left the gates, but Orm stood on the porch until he couldn’t see it anymore.

He knew he’d find Arthur on the pier, and he was right. His brother was lying down on the hard wood, legs dangling on the edge. If he heard Orm coming he didn’t show it. 

He nudged Arthur’s shoulder with his foot. “Move.”

His brother didn’t move for a second, but then he scooted aside to make room for him. Orm lay down, feet dangling too.

The wood dug into his shoulders, but the look on the sky above sent any discomfort to the back of his mind. He remembered the first time he saw the moon and the stars, glittering against the dark sky. For the first time, he understood why all those ancient poets couldn’t shut up about the night. 

Arthur was the first to break the silence. “I’m sorry,” he said. “You’re right, I should’ve asked you first.”

“Me too,” Orm replied. “I _was_ twisting your words. I knew that wasn’t what you mean by meeting your friends.”

Arthur turned towards him and propped up his head on an arm. “But why did you think so, though?”

Orm took a deep breath. Could he talk about his father? But aside from Mother, who else could he trust with this part of him?

“When I was growing up,” he began, and had to stop. He glanced at his brother and found him looking back. Being the sole focus of all that attention made him shiver, always. 

“When I was growing up, for most of the time, I only saw my father was during official occasions: audience with diplomats, feasts, that sort of thing. And he treated me as if I was an excellently trained shark, ready to perform tricks on cue. He loved to brag, and I had the supporting role.”

He wondered if Arthur would understand. Probably not, given the pride that lit up Tom’s eyes whenever he looked at his son. Tom’s approval was not dangled _just_ slightly out of reach, forcing his son to keep trying in vain hope that maybe this time he’d finally reach it. But maybe Arthur didn’t have to understand. Maybe it was enough that he listen.

“Your dad was an asshole.”

He chuckled. “That’s the mildest way to say it, yes.”

“I kinda want to show off though, I gotta admit,” Arthur confessed. “But not the way your dad did. It’s like. . . look, you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, and some days I still can’t believe you’re here with me. When you could have anyone you want, if the way people look at you is any indication.”

“And yet, you chose me,” Arthur’s eyes were so soft, so vulnerable. It was a strange, yet oddly endearing thing to behold. “Can’t you see why I want to shout it out as loud as I can? To tell as many people as I can?”

Orm swallowed. His throat was dry, and words didn’t seem enough anyway. So he reached out and kissed Arthur.

After a heartbeat, they separated. “I understand,” he said, “But the trip?”

“Ah, that,” his brother huffed. He averted his gaze to the sky and harrumphed. His whole body screamed out embarrassment.

“Look, you’ve seen what a hopeless romantic my dad is. You can’t grow up with someone like him and not pick up a few things,” he glanced at Orm.

“You’re my first real relationship, you know? I mean, I’ve dated people before, sometimes, but those were nowhere close to this – to what we have. So for the first time in my whole fucking life, I want to do couple-y stuff with you.”

Orm opened his mouth, but Arthur beat him to it. “Going on a trip. Trying new things together. Going out to the movies and have dinner afterwards – fuck, we’ve never even had a proper date night yet. And whatever else we can think of. Everything I want to do, I wanna do it with you.”

He blinked. Orm never was a romantic, but listening to Arthur, he realized that, unfamiliar as they were, he wanted those things too. 

“A deal, then,” he began. “I’m not meeting the League,” he shook his head at Arthur’s protest, “But I’ll go on the trip with you.”

“You sure?” Orm nodded. “Just – let’s not do too much right away, alright? It’s my first time to a big city, after all,” he said, trying to keep his tone light.

“Okay, we can do that. And tell me if anything’s get too much, you hear me?”

Orm kissed him. It was answer enough. Arthur’s arms drew him closer, and he settled willingly, happily.

“So,” Arthur said, putting their kissing on a pause, “Make-up sex?” At Orm’s raised eyebrow, he winked. “We got the whole house for ourselves? We can be as loud as we want?”

Laughter bubbled out of him. Orm stood up, pulling Arthur’s hand. 

“Come on then.”

**Author's Note:**

> The "Morning/It's afternoon" exchange is taken from _Stoker_ , where Nicole Kidman plays the abusive parent. There's no particular reason, I just like the exchange.


End file.
